Beer?

[No Ta Doctor]

Extra 4 - abv 4.8%. "Extra 4 is a refreshing blonde beer with a snowy-white collar. Zesty and floral touches are perfectly balanced by the aroma of hops", according to the description on the box. (The paterbier is their Pater 6 at 6.7%, third from left in pic, yellow label).


Feel free..although its BB date is 12-2026, so you might not get here in time! But you are quite welcome to the Abt 12, BB date is 05-2029.

I've actually just taken delivery of some St B Paters - though confusingly, they're not actually a paterbier (which is sometimes referred to as a single, and comes in under 5% - that's the Extra), they're a double! It's because their naming goes Abbot 12, Prior 8, Pater 6 - ranking their beer strengths by religious title (got to try and get the idea that they're a trappist brewery in there somewhere, without being able to actually claim it!)

Don't worry about best before dates too much if it's bottle conditioned, especially the higher strength stuff, just keep them cool and out of direct sunlight

 

[Shadow]

Thirsty work being a tourist. Stopped by the local convenience store with a fridge to take a couple of chilled bottles back to the accommodation. Both were about €4:

La Fosse Blonde 5.3% (2/5 barley, 2/5 hops)

La Piautre Blonde 4.9% (2/5 bitterness)

The scores in brackets were listed on the back label as pictograms; I have never seen these before. Neither really appealed to my palate, maybe I was having an off day!

 

[stephec]

I'm up in Cockermouth for work again today so, as usual, it's off to The Bitter End for my tea, a massive plate of fish and chips.

Restless Native stout from the Lowland Brewery in Lockerbie, 4.1%.

Quite dry like a Murphy's, really nice stuff.

 

[stephec]

And after that it's off to the Jenning's Brewery, instead of my usual darker ales I've had a go at something I've not seen before, their session IPA.

Not quite the full on bitterness of a west coast, but definitely learning in that direction, another winner for me.

 

[katiewlx]

Don't worry about best before dates too much if it's bottle conditioned, especially the higher strength stuff, just keep them cool and out of direct sunlight

theyll be fine, they have to put bbd dates on it just because, but the alcohol gets rid of all the nasty stuff, at worst theyll just go a bit Brettanomyces sour or theyll go amazingly deep in flavour

 

[winjim]

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to drink my beers.*


*I will also cook with them, but not something crispy!

Beer battered cod is good. And crisp*.


*(adj)

 

[No Ta Doctor]

Beer battered cod is good. And crisp*.


*(adj)

Fair, though the beer is added just for txture, isn't it? Because the alcohol evaporates quicker when it's frying? Heston Blumenthal adds vodka to his batter 😱

 

[winjim]

Fair, though the beer is added just for txture, isn't it? Because the alcohol evaporates quicker when it's frying? Heston Blumenthal adds vodka to his batter 😱

Yeah I think once you're deep frying it any addition to the flavour is kind of moot.

 

[stephec]

This is a bit dull, hardly any different to the normal Soundwave, and nothing to make it stand out in an overcrowded market.

And speaking of overcrowded, on the way home today I stopped at Tebay services to have a look at their beer choice, there must have been at least fifteen different breweries from Cumbria alone, how can they all be claiming to be producing something unique?